Chandigarh vs Rishīkesh
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Chandigarh and Rishīkesh.
Live AQI from Open-Meteo CAMS (~45 km global model, updated hourly). Multi-year history from CPCB station data via aqinow.co pipeline (2016–2024, station-level daily records).
AQI Comparison
Pollutant-level comparison (PM2.5, PM10, O3, NO2, SO2, CO)▾
| Pollutant | Chandigarh | Rishīkesh |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 50.90 | 6.70 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 66.80 | 6.80 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 44.60 | 11.00 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 8.10 | 2.20 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 11.00 | 89.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 714.00 | 353.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Chandigarh averaged an AQI of 153 while Rishīkesh averaged 74 — a 79-point (107%) gap, with Chandigarh the more polluted and Rishīkesh the cleaner of the two. On 643 days when both cities reported, Rishīkesh was cleaner on 633 of them; the average daily gap was 100 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Both cities see their worst air in January on average. Chandigarh logged 0.3% Severe days and 39.9% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Rishīkesh was 0% Severe and 88.3% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Chandigarh 92 days, Rishīkesh 95 days.
Year-over-year progress
Chandigarh has worsened by 27 AQI points (21.4%) from 2019 to 2024; Rishīkesh has worsened by 21 AQI points (39.6%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Chandigarh reached AQI 452 at Sector-53 (CPCC) on 2022-11-09; Rishīkesh hit AQI 208 at Shivaji Nagar (UKPCB) on 2024-11-11.
Station-level disparity
Chandigarh spans 3 CPCB stations with a 43-point spread (min 107, max 150); Rishīkesh spans 1 stations with a 0-point spread (min 64, max 64).
Verdict
🏆 Rishīkesh has better air quality with an AQI of 11 compared to Chandigarh's 85. That's a significant difference of 74 points.